Social Services Aide

Position Information

Under general supervision, the Social Service Aide assists Social Workers by performing specifically designated tasks related to the improvement of family functioning and child and adult services; and performs related work as required.

Social Service Aide is a paraprofessional class. Incumbents assist Social Workers by relieving them of routine tasks such as performing assessments of clients in the In-Home Support Services program, instructing parents in the development of parenting and household management skills, and/or performing various tasks for the child and adult service programs.

Nature Of Work

The primary function of a Social Service Aide is to assist professional staff in casework by interviewing clients, conducting home visits, training and on-going assessments. This position also transports clients, enters data into computer systems and provides referrals to community resources and assists clients in obtaining essential services. The position facilitates communication between professional staff and clients.

Typical Duties Of a Social Service Aide Include

Operating county vehicles to transport clients from their homes to medical appointments, job interviews, trainings, court and other necessary services; assists clients in completing forms and applications, explains program rules and regulations; report and records observation of client interactions; supports program goals, methods, practices and procedures; performs basic office work including setting up appointments with clients, assembling information packets and other work as needed.

Controversial Issues

As a Social Service Aide, you may be required to take actions that conflict with your own values. A Social Service Aide must be able to accept clients’ differences and interact with them in a non-judgmental manner.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have the ability to develop professional relationships with a diverse client base; be able to work closely with team members of the Agency, community partners and family members; possess effective written and oral communication skills, excellent organization skills, ability to prioritize tasks; maintain calm and professional performance and demonstrate exceptional customer service working with client populations that have substance dependence, mental or physical health, trauma, or domestic violence history.

The Social Service Aide differs from the Social Worker in that the former requires a lower level of skill and training than the level required of a professional Social Worker.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED AND RECEIVED

Incumbents in the Social Service Aide classification receive supervision from a Social Worker Supervisor or other higher-level supervisor or manager.

Examples of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Maintains a routine caseload of elderly adults who are infirm or incapacitated and receiving household services.
• Conducts ongoing client needs assessments and verifies needs by contacting medical and health services providers.
• Presents client assessments to professional staff for approval.
• Completes narrative reports regarding a client's condition and services provided and/or recommended. Enters data regarding case and client information and contacts into automated system.
• Makes client referrals to medical personnel or social workers as needed.
• Provides direct training and counseling to mentally ill and developmentally disabled parents on parenting and household management skills, and teaches families about nutritional meal preparation, budgeting and household care.
• Monitors the medical and psychological care of abused children.
• Supervises visits between parents and children and reports observations to social worker.
• Provides emergency child care.
• Transports or accompanies clients to appointments for service or interviews.
• May testify in juvenile court hearings.
• Assists Social Workers in providing a variety of child and adult social services.
• Acts as liaison between clients and professional staff, individuals and groups in the community serviced.
• Directly assists families in using and learning about the resources of society, particularly medical, legal and employment services.
• Maintains records of work performed, and performs other related work as required.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

• Basic rules and regulations regarding In-Home Support Services, child abuse reporting, and Welfare and Institution Codes.
• Basic community resources useful to clients served, acceptable housekeeping and homemaking standards, including the methods, materials and equipment used in general housekeeping work.
• Basic methods and attitudes involved in the in-home care of physically ill, handicapped or disabled persons and adequate food preparation with limited kitchen equipment.

• Interview persons to obtain a variety of information applicable to the provision of social services.
• Understand and accept differences in human behavior resulting from…